Love's Great Calculation
by Yva J
Summary: Tumnus has been trying for weeks to figure a way to make a relationship with Lucy work, and through mathematics, reaches some surprising conclusions.


_a/n: This is a little one shot that I wrote for those of you who are reading my other story and wanting a little Tumnus / Lucy romance. That won't have any for a few more chapters, so I did this little ditty to pacify you. I hope that you enjoy it, and as always reviews are love, so please let me know what you think._

_I was never good at math, so just bear with my silly meanderings. Also, I want to add that even though Aslan did make note of the time lapses in VDT, I want to bring this little aspect of this story to your attention. Tumnus doesn't know about Aslan's affirmations of time passing in the latter books. It is established that Tumnus is not present in VDT. So when he tries to calculate everything, it's as though he is a scientist working strictly with theories that haven't been proven as fact. So when you read this, please note that this is strictly Tumnus trying to justify everything for himself. It should not be taken too seriously.

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**Love's Great Calculation**

By: Yva J.

"Let's see, 8000, divided by three, times 150 plus give or take 7 and three quarters…" the Faun Tumnus muttered as he sat on the grounds of Cair Paravel. His hooves were comfortably stretched out before him and the spring sunshine filtered all around him. Next to him, a large scroll was placed and he held a quill in his hand. Every so often he'd nibble on the end of the quill, his concentration immense. No one really knew what it was he was doing, but no one on the castle's grounds wanted to stop and inquire.

After several minutes, he began to run the end of it against the scroll, the scratching sounds of it filling the otherwise quiet air. A bottle of ink was placed on the cement walkway, not far away. Next to the bottle, one could see splashes of ink from when he would dip the quill into the bottle and accidentally leave spots on the ground. There were several spots on his hands, and arms, but he ignored them as he continued to verbally calculate. "Eight over 150 divided by 3." As he finished the equation, he smiled at his work as though he had solved the greatest problems in the universe. Now, his blue eyes were filled with joy as he began to waft the piece of parchment in the air in order to dry it.

As he finished this task, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. In the distance, he could see that other Narnians had come and gone. Some would shake his or her head as they passed him by, while others simply remained silent as they momentarily took in the faun's strange equations.

It was true that Tumnus had always been an academic of sorts, his cave was filled with dusty books; his father's love of reading had obviously been passed onto his son. If there were such a thing as a place of higher learning in Narnia, then Tumnus himself would most definitely be the one heading it up.

Sighing, he ran his hand slowly through his curly, hair, his fingertips suddenly hitting one of his horns. Something felt strange to him and he lowered his hand only to see a large blob of ink covering half of his hand. The ink must have splashed on his hand and now was in his hair and on his horn. Yet, trying not to bother himself with this, he continued to stare down at his work until a sweet feminine voice filtered into his thoughts and he looked up to see that Queen Lucy was standing before him.

"Are you playing Father Christmas, Mr. Tumnus?" She asked, her dainty voice meshing into his thoughts and he urgently began to wipe his hands on the blanket, ink smearing about. "It looks as though you have been making your own wrapping paper."

The faun flushed as he lowered his head. It embarrassed him to be seen sitting there in this state, covered with ink and surrounded by scrolls. "N-no," he stammered. "It's—it's—it's a project I'm working on, Your Majesty."

Lucy bunched up the skirts of her riding dress and managed to sit down on the ground next to him. The dark green colored dress now brought out the color of her eyes, and the faun could not help but notice just how beautiful she looked. The wind was blowing gently through her chestnut hair and she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and extended it to him. "Here, use this."

He looked up at her without raising his head. His gaze was still on his appearance and this alone humbled him. His hands were covered with ink, his body surrounded by paper. He slowly began to collect the pieces before shoving them aside.

"Mr. Tumnus, what sort of project are you working on?" Lucy asked softly, the young 18-year-old queen was smiling at him sweetly. But when she saw the hesitancy in his eyes, she reached over and touched his shoulder. "Is something the matter?"

The faun looked down and sighed. "I look a fright," he said as he tried to wipe the ink from his hands.

"No, you look…" her voice trailed off as she sought to find the right word to describe what she thought when she would look at him. The word 'endearing' seemed to stick in her mind, but she feared that he would think ill of her for using it. "You look fascinating," she finally managed, the idiotic word literally hanging in the air and even she grimaced upon hearing it rolling from her tongue.

In the depths of her heart, she wanted nothing more than to admit to him that she loved all the things that made him her Tumnus. Yet, when she tried to find the words to speak, they simply would not come. Taking a special friendship to the next level seemed out of the question, although she had seen Susan and Prince Richard do just that. She felt herself growing envious of the fact that her lovely sister could wrap any man around her finger in the wink of an eye, and she had trouble telling her best friend what was in her heart.

Even if she did admit to him that she had had a crush on him for years, how would he react to her?

"Fascinating?" Tumnus whispered as she was sent plummeting back down to earth.

"No, that's not the word I wanted to use…" Lucy's voice trailed once again and she shook her head. "Mr. Tumnus, I think you look wonderful."

He looked up and smiled weakly at her, but he continued to try without much success at wiping the remaining ink from his fingers. "I feel rather silly," he offered softly, his blue-eyed gaze literally staring into the eyes of the youngest Pevensie.

"But why?" She asked.

"All of this was probably nothing more than a silly idea," he said motioning towards the scroll that was on the ground next to them.

"What is it?" She implored him. "Show me, please."

Tumnus looked into her eyes. There was truly no way that he could say no to her, she looked positively radiant to him and seeing her sitting on the ground next to him, her skirts surrounding her made him think that the lovely queen looked rather like a flower blossoming from a bud.

"It may seem silly to you, but I am trying to figure the time element between Narnia and Spare Oom," he finally said, his voice taking on the strange tone of an academic.

"Why?" Lucy asked as he unrolled the scroll and she could see his neatly etched diagrams and figures. Confusion washed over her like a warm spring rain and she spoke, her words conveying this. "This all looks strange to me."

"Well, I'm trying to discover how time passes between one place and the other," he said as he motioned towards the papers. "I thought it would help me to figure out how old you would be in Narnian years."

"I'm eighteen, though, you already know that," she objected.

"Not according to this," he said shaking his head. "As I tried to calculate how many years in Narnia would equal one year in Spare Oom, I became rather baffled. The questions kept returning, so I had to explore them."

"Why?"

"Remember when you came to visit me the second time you were in Narnia?" He asked.

"Yes, it was when you told me more about Narnian History and about how old you are," she said nodding slowly.

"When you returned to Spare Oom the first time, you said only moments had passed, but that you had spent close to seven hours with me," he said as he motioned towards the papers. "You said that the time between your first visit and your second was about 16 of Spare Oom's hours, but in Narnia, five years had passed."

"Five years? That's not possible," she whispered.

Tumnus nodded. "According to this, and based on these rough calculations, it is possible. If you had been born in Narnia, then I have estimated that you would have been about 149-years-old at the time we met. That's some four years younger than me."

"Only four years?" Lucy looked at him astounded. "I'm your age?"

"Yes," he said. "You are my age, at least after spending several days working on this. I know that it sounds rather odd of me to ask this question, but I want to know how old you would be if you were not a Daughter of Eve or from Spare Oom but rather from here."

"You mean you've been sitting here covering yourself with ink trying to figure out how old I would be here?" She asked and he nodded. "But why? I mean; this is all interesting, but why would you go through so much trouble to find this out?"

He smiled, a faint blush tingeing his cheeks. "It was a question I have been asking myself for quite some time now, and it was only through figuring out roughly how much time in Narnia would pass compared to that of Spare Oom that I was able to realize that we are quite close in age."

"Why would that be so important to you?" She asked as she reached for his hand. Once she had captured it, he abruptly pulled it away.

"Your Majesty, you're getting all dirty," he objected.

Lucy's spirits suddenly plummeted. He seemed to not notice that she wanted to touch him, to run her hands against his arms to feel his hands winding around hers and holding them. The ink was only a rationale for this action, but her internal instincts wanted nothing more than to touch him. Instead of speaking of this, she reached once more for his hands. "That doesn't matter to me, I can always wash my hands later. But I still don't understand why you went through all this trouble."

He raised his head as a small smile touched his lips. "I-I-I…I wanted to find a reason for you to stop calling me 'Mr. Tumnus', and to just start calling me by my name."

"Why didn't you just ask?" She said softly. "You went through all that trouble for me?"

"It was no trouble," he smiled weakly. "It was a question and I wanted to answer it, but tell me, why did you call me that for so long?" He asked.

"I did it out of politeness. I was raised to speak to others in this way, and when we met, you were my elder," she said as a blush crept up her cheeks. "Don't you speak to your elders in this fashion?"

"Yes, actually when I was younger I did, but I…" his words trailed and he swallowed bravely. "I-I guess I do understand, Your Majesty," this time it emerged a stammer.

"If I am to call you by your given name, then I want you to call me by mine," Lucy said as she looked up at him, her eyes hopeful.

"Of course," he said smiling as he began to gather the papers together. "Lucy, the truth is, I was trying to figure all of this out because…" his words trailed. How could he tell her that he wanted to do the math to justify the depths of his love towards her? Instead, he took a deep breath and continued, his next words completely changing the subject. "Perhaps it would be wise for me to clean up this mess and then we could adjourn to my quarters for tea?"

She smiled and looked up at him. "That sounds delightful."

Tumnus nodded as he began to roll up the scrolls and Lucy returned the lid to the bottle of ink before she picked it up. Next, she gathered her skirts together and stood up.

As they walked slowly towards the castle entrance, Lucy kept asking herself what it was that Tumnus had intended to say. She swallowed as her thoughts pondered if he had done all these things for the reason she had hoped for.

Some five minutes later they entered the faun's private rooms and Lucy sat down in front of the fireplace while Tumnus went over and began to light a fire. Once a small fire was crackling away, he added water to the teapot and wordlessly placed it over the fire.

Next he came over and sat down beside her, his hooves stretched out before him and he looked over at her. "Are you comfortable?" He asked softly, but when she did not immediately respond, he continued. "I can retrieve a pillow from my bedchamber if you would like."

"No, I'm fine, please don't go anywhere," she said softly and looked down at her lap.

They sat for several moments in silence until Lucy took a deep breath before breaking the silence. "Tumnus?" She whispered his name as she watched him begin to pick at the fur that covered his legs. She could not help but notice that he always did this when he was nervous or afraid of something.

He stopped this action and looked up at her. "What is it, Lucy?"

"I was just wondering something," she said softly.

"What?" He asked in kind.

"Nothing," she said before growing silent and her eyes lazily closed. After some moments had passed, her gaze shifted and came to rest on the piles of papers that he had placed on a nearby table. Why would our similarities in age matter to him? She continued to ask herself her gaze lowered.

The faun watched these shy movements and he sighed deeply. She really was endearing, he thought as he watched her for several moments.

As the sounds of the water boiling could be heard and the whistling teapot pierced the air, he quickly stood and went over to the kettle and removed it from the fire.

Lucy raised her head for a moment and watched these actions, her gaze on his every move. Everything about the faun was just so beautiful, she thought. The way the hair on his lower arms shimmered against the backdrop of flames, the way his blue eyes shone when he regarded her. Even the way his ears would sometimes flop lazily over when he would bow his head.

Everything about him seemed to remind her of the day that they had met. She smiled as her gaze shifted and she could see the small mahogany colored box where his flute was kept. She remembered how he had played music for her that day, the soothing melodies so beautiful and gentle. It sometimes felt as though the music had literally embraced her. As she continued to drift back into her own memories, she smiled as she remembered how willing the faun had been to protect her and face danger himself. No prince from any foreign country had ever put his life on the line for her in this way.

Her attention suddenly returned to the present and she watched as the flames continued to silhouette him, and for whatever reason, she could suddenly feel the tears as they caught in her eyes and she stared at him.

She bit down on her lip as he turned around and looked at her, his blue eyes filled with gentility. Somehow, he could tell, even when he was turned away from her that she was staring at him. He came over to her and reached for her hands. "The tea's not yet ready."

Oh who cares about the bloody tea? She internally screamed. She swallowed and stood up, her eyes never leaving his and she smiled at him. "I would rather we talk, if you have no objections," she offered softly.

Tumnus looked at her, the light from the fire causing her face to glow and he reached over and touched her cheek. "Lucy, do you know why I did what I did with all those silly calculations?" He asked softly, his fingers now stroking both sides of her face, his fingertips somehow wakening the emotions that he carried for her. Little did he know that the simple act of touching her caused jolts of excitement to curse through her.

"No," she whispered, her voice a soft stammer.

He inched closer to her, his lips a mere centimeter from her own. "I wanted to know if it was possible…" His words faded as he brushed his lips against her cheek only to land on her mouth several moments later.

The kiss lasted only a split second, but broke and he backed up, his face flushing crimson. "My apologies," he stammered as the realization dawned on him as to what he had done. "I should not have done that." He released her and turned away, his whole stance filled with indescribable shame. "Lucy, I'm so sorry."

"Why?" She asked softly.

"It was wrong of me," he said. "It was so wrong."

"No, it wasn't," she looked at him, her face showing a trace of a smile. "I wanted you to kiss me," she whispered as she gingerly touched her lips.

"You did?" He asked.

"I have wished for nothing more for some time now," she admitted.

"Really?" He asked. "I thought it was only me who wished for this."

She shook her head. "No, Tumnus, I kept hoping that when you were talking about the calculations earlier that you might have been doing it for another reason." Her voice broke off and she looked away, her face shadowed by the light of the fire. She turned away from him so that he would not see the embarrassment she carried.

"Lucy, are you telling me that…you care for me?" He asked softly.

"Yes, I think I'm in love with you," she whispered and lowered her head. "I kept hoping that you could love me as much as I do you. It sounds silly, I know, but it's true."

"This was why I did all those silly calculations, I wanted to justify my loving you," he said softly. "I thought that if I knew and understood these questions, then perhaps it would make all of my feelings seem right."

"You mean; you did all that work to see if we could…if it would work for us to love one another?" Lucy whispered.

The faun nodded. "Yes, I was afraid that you would think me to be too old for you, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't before trying to make something work between us."

Lucy broke into a smile, and for a split second, it looked as though she was that little girl, the one he had met that first day in Lantern Waste. "That's the most wonderful thing I have ever heard in my life."

"I thought it sounded rather academic myself," he mused.

She smiled. "Maybe just a little bit, but to me it sounds really romantic," she looked up at him, her eyes shining as she wound her arm around him and filled the space between them. "I couldn't have wished for more than that," she whispered, her hands now running down his back.

"You would wish for that?" He asked.

Instead of respond to this question vocally, she raised her head and kissed his lips. "Does that answer your question?" She asked once the kiss broke.

Tumnus nodded as he returned her embrace, his hands stroking the back of her head, his chin resting against her shoulder, his face meshed against her hair.

"At least now everything is starting to add up," she crooned softly after several minutes of silence had passed between them. She kept herself wrapped snugly in his arms, her body inching even closer to him.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked.

Lucy took a deep breath. "For the last three or so weeks, I kept seeing you sitting in the courtyard surrounded by books. It looked as though you were trying to reinvent the wheel or something. I didn't stop you because I thought that what you were doing was something really important. I watched from a distance, but I never had the courage to approach you until today. I wanted to tell you that I was watching you, and that you inspired me. I realized that I was starting to have feelings for you and they felt strange and new to me. They were things I wasn't supposed to feel, but yet I was. I didn't realize what they were until you kissed me just now, and then deep down inside I longed for more," she whispered as she touched his face.

Instead of responding, the faun kissed her again, thus adhering to her wishes. "I love you," he whispered, his lips still brushing against hers.

"You do?" She asked.

He nodded. "I tried to justify these feelings I carried for you, my dearest," he said softly. "But you found the answer without having to solve any mathematical problems. How did you manage?"

"Easy, love isn't about calculating mathematical equations, Tumnus, it's about feelings, and my feelings for you are stronger than they have ever been for anyone," she said as she touched his face. "How come men, or better said fauns, are so logical?"

"Logic is what guides me, my dear," he said a small smile touched his lips.

"Maybe, but emotions are what guides me," she responded in kind, her fingers brushing through his curly locks of hair.

The faun took a deep breath. "It would have been easier if I had told you what I felt, correct?"

Lucy nodded. "Perhaps, but oftentimes not even words are the best form of communication."

The faun smiled and nodded when he felt her hold on him tightening. He reciprocated the gesture and within minutes, his lips sought hers.

At least we can forget the mathematics and adjourn to chemistry, Lucy thought as she allowed the kiss to intensify.

The End.


End file.
